Thermostatic adjustment for meter calibrating mechanism



Jan. .2, 1945. c. P. GRIFFITH ET AL. 2,356,330

THERMOSTATIC ADJUSTMENT FOR METER CALIBRATING' MECHANISM Filed Aug. 10, 1940 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 I I v 83 genscsfl 7/ 9 3 so so I 73 0 o .00050 .0007 75 a EX Clemenl P. Grffilh 0/ J I JohnJiDelamey 1N VENTORS ATTORNEY.

Patented Jan. 2, 1945 UNITED STATE assent TH ERLMOSTATIC ADJUSTMENT FOR IWETER CALIBRATING MECHANISM Clement P. Griffith and John J. DelanexFort Wayne, 1nd assignors to S. F. Bowser & Company, Incorporated, Fort Wayne, 1:16., a cor- Doration of Indiana Application August 1 0, 1940, Serial No. 352,136

8 Claims. (Cl. 73-244) This invention relates to means for adjusting the discharge capacity of a meter so as to correct for the increased or decreased unit volume of liquid discharged with respect to the unit volume of liquid at a standard temperature.

The invention contemplates the adjustment of volume of discharge to correct for both the temperature and the coefllcient of expansion of the liquid being handled.

It is a further object of the invention to produce a temperature compensating meter which is small and compact.

These and other objects will become apparent from a study of this specification and the drawings which are attached hereto and form, a Part hereof and in which:

Figure 1 is a vertical, partly sectional view of a meter showing the measuring and temperature compensating mechanism.

Figure 2 is a sectional view taken on the line 2-2 of Figure 3 showing the adjustment for the coefficient of expansion. 1

Figure 3 is a partial elevation of the coeificient of expansion indicator as viewed from the left of Figure 2.

Figure 4 is a sectional view of the thermostatic inders 3 provided with ports 5 and a crank bearing in which operates the crank shafts.

A meter head H and a bowl l3 are joined to the block by suitable fastenings not shown and the head carries a register l5 which is driven by the gearing I1. 7

The shaft 9 carries a crank l9 and crank pin 20 on which is mounted a valve 2| which controls the ports 5 and which bears againsta sealing ring 23 mounted on the head H. The crank pin serves to actuate the gearing I! in. a well known manner.

Studs 25 in the block suspend at a predetermined distance from the block, a track 21.

Mounted for movement axially of the trackis a shaft 29 which carries a: spherical journal 35.

The mechanism for adjusting the shaft will be described below. I

Mounted on journal 3! is a bearing 33 which carries a control plate 35 which, in turn, is adapted to roll with its outer and lower peripheral surface on the track 27. The pistons 3! are fixed at spacedpoints in the plate 35 and reciprocate in the cylinders to drive the plate with a nutatcry motion.

A shaft 39 projects axially from said bearing and drives acranlr H which is fixed to shaft so that the valve will be rotated in time with the control plate.

All of this structure is old in the art and can be found in the patents issued to H.- L. Blum, 1,423,597 and 1,977,424.

It will be seen that as the journal .3! is raised with respect to the track '27, the stroke of the pistons will be increased and vice verse so that the volume displaced per revolution of the shaft 9 and of the register 15 will be varied.

If it is desired to dispense avolume of liquid,

which will occupy a predetermined space at-a predetermined standard temperature such as degrees Fahrenheit, which is commonly used, it will be seen that as-the temperature of the liquid being handled rises above 60 degrees Fahrenheit, the volumedischarged from the-meter per revelution will have to be increased-and that as the temperature falls below 60 degrees Fahrenheit the volume discharge will have to be decreased.

The expansion or contraction of a liquid is a function of both the coefficient of cubic expansion and also of the temperature change, and both factors are considered and corrected for as closely as possible by means of the mechanism which will now be described.

A hanger 43 depends from the track 21 and has fixed to its lower end by screws 45 a track plate 41 as shown in Figures 1 and 2. A fulcrum element 49 which is T-shaped in cross-section (Figure 2) has its depending rib 5| disposed between the track elements 53 of the track plate and the lower surfaces of the fulcrum portion in sliding engagement with theupper surface of said track elements. 7

The lower surface of the rib 5| is formed with rack teeth'55 which are adapted to mesh with the teeth of a pinion 51. The latter is fixed to rotate with a shaft 59 which is journalled in bearings 6| formed in the track plate.

One end of the shaftfiii carries a projecting dog 63 which'engages by means of an open ended slot, a radially extending pin 65 in a shaft 66 which is mounted to rotate in a bearing 61 in substantially axial alignment with shaft 59.

The bearing I1 forms a part of a bracket 98 and enters an opening 19 in the meter bowl. The

bracket is held in place by screws 12 and a gasket v eflicients of expansion 11 for use when metering.

other liquids. The indicator plates can be readily changed if desired so that, for instance, a plate having specific gravities may be used if desired.

The bracket 99 is provided with a boss 14 which ears 92 which receive the pin I8 so that the door will swing up anddown to cover the indicating mechanism just described. Aligned holes 19 in the door and in a projection 90 on the bracket Provide means for the reception of a lock for holding the door closed. a

Mounted in the meter head II, and preferably in the outlet passage 93 thereof, is a thermostat 85. As shown in Figure 4, the thermostat comprises a cylinder 81 having a uniform bore 99 and a threaded counterbore 9| forming a shoulder 93 with the bore;

A holding ring 95 is adapted to fit in the counterbore and to rest on the shoulder 93. An elastic boot or diaphragm 91 made of synthetic rubber or any other elastic material which is resistant to heat and the fluid used in the thermostat, is formed with a rimmed flange 99 and is adapted to pass through the ring into the bore and to have its flange rest on the ring.

A plunger IIII fits snugly in the diaphragm and a clamp ring I03 which closely fits the plunger and which flts snugly in the counterbore is next passed into the counterbore. The ring I03 is formed to fit the rimmed flange portion of the boot and a nut I95 is then screwed into the counterbore to force the ring I03 into clamping relation on the flange of the boot and the boot flange against ring 95 so that the flange seals the structure against the passage of liquid. In

7 boot should be rounded.

a journal since the bearing pressure is applied on the lower, undeformed portion of the plug.

The other forked end of beam H9 is provided with bearings I23 which are open at the top and which receive the trunnions I25 which are formed on the nut I 21 (Figure 5) As'shown in Figures 1 and 5, the shaft 29 which carries spherical journal 3| is threaded at I29 to enter the nut I21. The lower end of shaft 29 is provided with a transverse pin I3I which is adapted to enter slots I93 in a coupler I35.

The latter device contains slots I 31 which re-' in the bottom of the meter bowl. The plug sup- -carries a hinge pin 19. A door 9| has perforated Referring again to Figure 1, it will be seen that the threaded portion I01 of th element 95 is inserted in an opening in head II so that the plunger IIII projects downwardly to contact the push rod I99. A guide bracket I III is fixed to the meter block I and has an ear II2 which is perforated to receive and support the upper end of rod I99 against lateral movement. The lower end III of this rod is received in a threaded openlng II3 (Figure 6) in a journal plug II5 which is pivotally received in aligned bearing H1 in one end of a fork ended beam '9. The plug H5 is eccentricaliy slotted as at I2I so that once the adjustment of the threaded end III in the plug is effected, one end of the plug can be deformed as by compressing it to close the slot I2I atone corner and this will lock the threaded portions in place to maintain the adjustment. Such deformation will not destoy the value of the plug as ports a disc I 53 which coacts with the head on flange I45 to seal the joint. A seal cap I55 may be screwed on the portion I41 to lock the key in position after adjustment.

The shaft 29 is provided with a shoulder at I51, as shown in Figure 5 particularly, and is provided with a groove I59. A spring seat I5I abuts the shoulder and is held in place by a snap ringv I63 which enters the groove I59. A spring IE5 'is compressed between the seat I51 formed on the track 21 and the seat IGI and urges the bearing 3-I downwardly at all times.

operation In constructing the meter the adjustment of screw III in plug H5 is made so that at the standard temperature, which is usually 60 degrees Fahrenheit, the beam II 9 will lie substantially parallel to tracks 53 because a unit measure of all liquids should be dispensed per cycle of the meter or register at the standard temperature, regardless of their coeillcientsof expansion. Accordingly, movement of the fulcrum through its entire range should not effect any movement of journal 9|. This condition exists only when the beam and tracks are parallel.

The fulcrum 491s next moved into contact with the shaft 29 and the indicator H is fixed on shaft 58 so that it will indicate lowest expansion coefficient.

In calibrating the meter, the indicator 1i is'set to the coefllcient of expansion of the liquid being measured, and then the spherical journal is raised or lowered by means of the key I4I, coupling I35 and shaft 29 until the meter delivers the right quantity of liquid for the temperature and expansion coefficient of the testing liquid. The key is then locked in place by application of a suitable lock nut and protected by the seal nut I55.

The coefficients of cubic expansion of liquids vary not only with the different liquids but also in diiferent temperature ranges of a given liquid. An operator of the device disclosed herein usually has a thermometer inserted in the flow line to indicate 'the temperature of the liquid being measured so that by selecting the coeflicient of expansion'which obtains for the liquid being measured, at that temperature, and by setting indicator H on scale 13, an accurate setting of the meter can be obtained. It rarelyoccurs that the setting will be at a point of rapid change of coelllcient so that under usual conditions the thermostat may then be relied upon to adjust very accurately for any reasonable variance'in temperature above or below that at which the coeflicient was selected.

Even when the coefllcient is set at a point of V at the standard temperature.

relatively rapid change, the error in adjustment aiforded by the meter will be well within commercial tolerances and the delivery will be more nearly accurate than it would be were no adjustment at all made for the coefficient of expansion.

The fluid selected for the thermostat should be one which has a regular coefficient curve,'that is, one which does not have sudden and/or large range changes of coefllcient. It has been found that pure grain alcohol of 180 proof is a suitable substance for this purpose.

It will be seen from the drawings that the thermostatic liquid is confined in the bore "of the thermostat. As the temperature of the liquid being measured decreases or increases, the temperature of the thermostatic liquid follows and as it decreases the liquid assumes less volume so that the pressure of spring I65, the liquid pressure on the piston and the weight of various parts instead, they desire protection falling fairly within the scope of the appended claims.

What we claim to be new and desire to protect by Letters Patent of the United States is: 1. In a thermostatic meter comprising a case, displacement means in said case, adjusting means for said displacement means in said case, means disposed in the case for setting said adjusting I means to correct the liquid discharged in accordance with its cubic expansion coefficient, and means extending outside of said case for actuating said setting means.

2. In a thermostatic meter comprising a case, liquid measuring means in said case, means in the case for adjusting the displacement of said measuring means, a thermostat mounted in the case and connected to actuate said adjusting means and manually operable means disposed externally of said case and connected to actuate the adjusting means independently of said thermostat to compensate for the cubic expansion properties of the liquid being measured.

' 3. In a thermostatic meter comprising a case. liquid measuring means in said case, means in the case for. adjusting the displacement of said measuring means, a thermostat mounted in the case, a pivoted beam, means connecting it at one end to the thermostat and at the other end to H9 modifies the movement of the plunger llll.

By movement to' the right in Figure 1, the ratio of the portion of bar H9 on the left of the fulcrum to that on the right is increased. That is L/R is increased so that the movement of journal 3! for a given movement of plunger IN is greater when the fulcrum occupies a right-hand position. Thus the coefilcients of cubic expansion on scale 15 must increase in a clockwise di rection as shown in-Figure 3.

The shaft 29 is supported in thecentral boss of the track 21 against lateral motion and the trunnions I25 which are carried upon the shaft serve to prevent endwise motion of the beam I I9.

Movement of the shaft 29 axially relative to the adjusting key is permitted by the collar I and the pin connections thereto. The amount of lost motion provided in this connection exceeds the possible movements of the shaft 29 under working conditions so that the connection between the key and the shaft is always maintained.

After the setting of indicator II with respect to the scales 15 or H is'made, this mechanism can be locked against tampering by applying a look through the perforations 19 shown in Figure 2.

It should be remembered that th'e'register I5 is in e'flect merely a revolutions counter which registers the number of revolutions of the displacement mechanism in terms of gallons or cost The actual volumetric delivery at any temperature other than the standard will be more or less than that regis-. tered depending on whether the temperature is above or below the standard. The amount of overage or underage will depend upon the action of the thermostat as modified by the coefficient of expansion correction mechanism.

It is obvious that various changes may be made in the form, structure and arrangement of parts without departing from the spirit of the invention. Accordingly, applicants do not desire to be limited to the specific embodiment disclosed herein primarily for purposes of illustration; but

said adjusting means, and means accessible extemally of said case for adjusting the connecting means between the beam and the displacement adjusting means for calibrating said meter.

4. In a thermostatic meter comprising a case, liquid measuring means in said case, means in the case for adjusting the displacement of said measuring means, a thermostat mounted in the case,

a pivoted beam, means connecting said beam at one end to the thermostat and at the other end to .said adjusting means, and means accessible externally of said case for adjusting the connection between the beam and the displacement adjusting means for calibrating the meter, said connection adjusting means comprising an extensible coupling.

5. In a thermostatic meter comprising'a fixed member, a track on said member, a fulcrum movably mounted on said track, an adjusting device for said fulcrum, a beam on said fulcrum and having an adjustable and connection, a housing for said meter comprising a removable bowl,

trolling means, a thermostat, a fulcrum, abeam mounted on said fulcrum and connecting means connecting it at one end to said displacement controlling means and at the other end to said thermostat, one of said connecting means comprising a slotted plug pivotally mounted in said beam and adapted to threadedly receive a rod disposed substantially perpendicularly to the shaft, an indicator on the shaft, a support for the shaft, means for mountingsaid support on said bowl, indicator scales on said support, and a door for enclosing said indicator, scales and shaft, said door, scales, shaft and said support being demountabie as a unit from bowl.

8., In a thermostatic meter, the combination of a housing comprisinga bowl, thermostatic displacement adjustment means mounted inside said housing but independent 01' the bowl, means for setting said adjustment means comprising a shaft, an indicator on the shaft, a support for the shaft, means for mounting said support on said bowl, indicator scales on said support, said scales, shaft and support being demountable as a unit from said bowl.

CLEIVIENT P. GRIFFITH.

JOHN J. DELANEY. 

